Queensland’s hottest Slam poets will throw down their words at State Library of Queensland for the Australian Poetry Slam State Final on Friday 7 September.
After months of slam heats across the state, 18 finalists have been called on to battle it out for the Queensland Slam Championship, and a chance to compete with the best of the best at the national final in Sydney.
Finalists have been mustered from heats in Brisbane, Stanthorpe, Blackall, Mackay, Townsville, Logan, Cairns and Moreton Bay.
Poetry Slams are explosive live events where contestants have two minutes at the microphone to woo the audience with their verbal panache.
State Library works with local public libraries and award-winning Slam poets to give communities a chance to engage in this unique fusion of spoken word performances and poetry.
It’s fantastic to see so many people from all walks of life embrace this unique form of self-expression - performers range from freestyle rappers to bush poets, cabaret singers, thespians, storytellers, beatboxers and first-time slammers.
The evening will also feature guest performances by Mackay singer-songwriter Courtney Young and internationally renowned US Def Poet Mark Gonzales.
Gonzales brings to the stage a unique bridging of page, stage and social media with narrative to advance creativity and human rights.
Gonzales has had invitations to perform and speak at the first Middle East TED talks, the United Nations tribunal on social exclusion, the Institute for European Ethnology at Humboldt University in Germany, and Syria where he was the first US born writer of the hip hop generation to be invited to speak.
His methodology operates with the idea that collective dreams lay the foundation for a new form of tribe, and the scope of his work is testament to the global impact that can be achieved through the arts and spoken word.
For more details visit slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on
When Fri 7 Sep, 7pm
Where SLQ, Cultural Centre, South Bank
Tickets: $17, bookings slq.eventbrite.com 3840 7768
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